The present invention relates generally to a ladder for facilitating access to and from a vehicle, and more specifically, concerns a folding ladder assembly suitable for attachment beneath the platform of a flatbed truck.
Many trucks now in use include a flatbed or platform portion that may be located 4 to 6 feet above the ground. Often, no specific access route is provided for climbing onto the platform, requiring truck drivers and workers to either provide a ladder for themselves or else climb onto the platform by obtaining makeshift footholds and handholds about the truck. Besides being troublesome and difficult, climbing onto a platform without the use of a suitable ladder device may be extremely dangerous, possibly resulting in injury to the climber.
Accordingly, proposals have been made for providing a ladder which is rigidly attached beneath the platform. Since such a ladder must extend fairly close to the ground in order to be useful, there may be a tendency for the ladder to strike objects rising from the roadbed. Other proposals have been made which involve the provision of ladder devices which may be folded to a raised position when not in use. Exemplary of such proposals are the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,833,240 issued to Weiler, 3,068,958 issued to McCann, 2,670,968 issued to Duffy, 2,246,986 issued to Pellegrini, and 1,118,584 issued to Roebuck et al.
Many of the proposals heretofore made may require numerous components which are expensive and increase the possibilities for malfunction. Some previously proposed folding ladders are not conveniently actuable by one person, but may require assistance which, of course, is not always available. Other folding ladders may not be functional in the absence of springs, toggle linkages, manually securable fasteners, etc. which can be subject to failure after repeated use.